Humza Yousaf: Margaret is right that nobody should have to feel that their only option is to pay privately and to go anywhere outside Scotland for cancer treatment. I pass on my sympathy to Margaret for the unacceptable ordeal that she has had to go through. I will try to give some context. I know that Douglas Ross and others in and outside the chamber are aware of the significant impact that the Covid...
Humza Yousaf: We absolutely have not become complacent. I hope that we can demonstrate that through the work that we have done with key stakeholders in relation to the cancer strategy. Douglas Ross and Anas Sarwar are absolutely right to raise what is a crucial issue for people right across Scotland. Let me, in turn, try to give some assurances that we are recovering from a global pandemic. That global...
Humza Yousaf: I take some exception to the use of the term “widespread”. The Scottish Government is committed to improving water quality in bathing waters across Scotland. Recent reporting of the statistics has not interpreted the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s bathing water monitoring data correctly. Since we introduced more stringent European standards in 2015, we have worked with SEPA,...
Humza Yousaf: The Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill includes proposals for a time-limited pilot of judge-only rape trials. The response by the senators of the College of Justice clearly shows that they have split views on the proposal. We know that organisations including Rape Crisis Scotland, Victim Support Scotland and Scottish Women’s Aid support the pilot. They, like many, are...
Humza Yousaf: I understand the impact and suffering that depression can cause sufferers and their families. I am committed to improving care, support and access to treatment. It is important that we recognise that many people in Scotland benefit from the use of antidepressant therapy. We established a short-life working group on prescription medicine dependence and withdrawal, which reviewed the use of...
Humza Yousaf: I welcome the decision that was taken yesterday by Glasgow city integration joint board. Following the position that was taken by the Lord Advocate, the safer drug consumption facility proposal now allows Glasgow to move ahead with the pilot. We have been consistent in our commitment to supporting the setting up of a safer drug consumption facility, which included facilitating work between...
Humza Yousaf: Kenny Gibson is absolutely right to raise the UK Government’s real-terms cut of 7 per cent to our capital budget. We know that infrastructure investment is key to securing inclusive economic growth and delivering high-quality public services. We have been consistent and very open about the challenges facing our capital investment plans and the tough decisions that we will need to take in...
Humza Yousaf: I add my appreciation for our emergency services, in particular the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, which battled not just throughout the night but into the next day to ensure that the fire was under control. Our emergency services have always had my utmost respect, which has only increased after the events at Ayr station hotel. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has remained in...
Humza Yousaf: My thoughts are with the families who have had to leave their homes. I recognise the impact that that will have on them and I commend the quick action that was taken by Clackmannanshire Council to make sure that those households are safe. There is regular dialogue between the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities about RAAC. Risk assessments related to RAAC are...
Humza Yousaf: The people of Inverness and Nairn are due an update. I am more than happy to consider a ministerial statement or, if it is more appropriate, a written update to the member and other members who have an interest in the A96. Of course, our manifesto commitment remains to dual the A96—in particular, the Inverness to Nairn bypass. For reasons that are known to Fergus Ewing, outside the...
Graham Simpson: The Scottish Government has been talking about having a national smart card for well over a decade, but nothing has happened. When Humza Yousaf was transport minister in 2016, he published a report that said: “The passenger is the end user of smart ticketing and it is critical that they see benefits in a consistent experience across Scotland from multi-modal smart ticketing.” Nothing has...
Liam Kerr: ...success, said that it would accelerate a just transition to net zero and sustain thousands of jobs. On the other hand, serial corrector of the record over energy stats and career politician Humza Yousaf said that Rosebank would slow the pace of the transition. Whose analysis should the people of Scotland give more weight to?
..., Sweeney, Paul, Swinney, John, Thomson, Michelle, Todd, Maree, Tweed, Evelyn, Villalba, Mercedes, Wells, Annie, White, Tess, Whitfield, Martin, Whitham, Elena, Whittle, Brian, Wishart, Beatrice, Yousaf, Humza
Maurice Golden: ...—fail. On peatland restoration—fail. On woodland creation—fail. On renewable heat—fail. On community and locally owned energy production—fail. On green jobs—fail. On cycling—fail. Humza Yousaf wants to be on the right side of history, but his party cannot even get on the right side of its own targets. The missed targets are a symptom of a more fundamental failure to build a...
Douglas Ross: ...’s North Sea oil and gas sector. It raises billions of pounds to support public services and it is crucial for Scotland’s economy. However, this week, across the Atlantic in the United States, Humza Yousaf said that Scotland will no longer be “the oil and gas capital of Europe”. Why has the Scottish National Party turned sour on Scotland’s oil and gas?
Sue Webber: ...to demonstrate that safe consumption rooms can work, to back the crucial right to addiction recovery bill; and to finally start tackling the drug deaths crisis over which Nicola Sturgeon and, now, Humza Yousaf have presided. I move amendment S6M-10490.1, to leave out from “be rooted” to end and insert: “take both a public health and a criminal justice approach to target the serious...
Douglas Ross: ...as the last force in the United Kingdom to roll out body-worn cameras. Yesterday, Police Scotland said that it could not “guarantee that body-worn cameras ... would be rolled out next year.” Humza Yousaf did not deliver them when he was justice secretary. As First Minister, will he let police officers down again?
Anas Sarwar: ...turning to private care. Figures that are out this week show that 40 per cent of all knee and hip replacements that are being carried out in Scotland are being self-funded by patients. Why does Humza Yousaf think that it is acceptable that almost 5,000 patients last year were forced to cover the costs of their hip or knee replacements because of his failures?
Humza Yousaf: There is simply no denying that the conclusions of the global stocktake report are deeply concerning and that all countries, including Scotland, must seek to do more. The report found that nothing less than radical decarbonisation and systemic transformation will do. Scotland will, of course, play her part. Internationally, we will continue to urge greater ambition and action towards a just...
Humza Yousaf: Jackie Dunbar exposes the UK Government’s complete failure to capture one of the greatest opportunities for Scotland’s net zero economy. Its inexplicable stance is anti-climate and anti-growth. Industry has sent the UK Government a clear signal that the strike price must increase, and we back those calls 100 per cent. To ensure that we seize that opportunity, the Scottish Government...
